【明星说】篮球明星：姚明🏀

姚明 Yao Ming is probably China’s most famous sports star. He plays basketball for the China national team and for the Houston Rockets in America. He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, measuring 2.29 metres. His mother and father stand at 1.90 and 2.01 metres. Yao has been China’s richest celebrity for over five years and has helped Chinese-US relations. 姚明是中国最为著名的体育明星。他曾入选中国国家队，还曾经效力于美国休斯敦火箭队。身高2米29，他是NBA身高最高的球员。他的母亲身高1米9，父亲2米01。5年多以来，他都是中国最为富有的名人，并为中美关系加油助力。 Yao started playing basketball when he was nine and joined the Shanghai Sharks at 13. He played on their senior team for five years and won the Chinese championship. In 2002, he became the first international player ever to be selected as the number one pick of rookies. China gave permission for Yao to play in the USA on the morning of the draft. 姚明9岁开始打球，13岁时入选了上海鲨鱼篮球队。他在青年队打了五年球，并获得锦标赛冠军。2002年，他成为了历史上首位以状元秀身份入选NBA的国际球员。中国允许姚明前往NBA打球。 He is a huge success in America and has signed many major sponsorship deals. He has played in the NBA All-Star Game in all of his seasons with Houston. In 2007, Yao played against his fellow Chinese player Yi Jianlian for the first time. Over 200 million people in China tuned in, making it one of the most-watched basketball games ever. 他在美国取得了胜利，并签下了许多重要赞助商。在休斯敦火箭队期间，他入选了所有赛季的全明星阵容。2007年，姚明首次与同胞易建联成为对手。在中国，有超过2亿名观众观看这场比赛，NBA也成为了历史上观看人数最多的篮球比赛。 Yao is married to Ye Li, a former player for China's national team. In 2004, he carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which he said was a “long dream come true”. He also does a great deal for charity. After the 2008 China earthquake, he donated $2 million dollars and created a foundation to help rebuild schools. 姚明的妻子是前中国篮球队队员叶莉。2004年，姚明在奥运会开幕仪式上担任旗手，他称梦想终于实现了。他还为慈善事业助力。2008年，中国发生地震后，他捐助了200万美金，并建立了基金会，帮助重建学校。